The third most popular cat breed in America in 2016 was the British shorthair. Since our feline journalist, Fancy, has made it her mission to interview a member of each of the 10 most popular breeds, we asked William the British shorthair to come to our office for a chat.

William: You're welcome, Fancy. And thank you for the compliment. Members of my breed are, of course, extremely attractive. We are all roundness, fluff, and big eyes. We come in many beautiful colors and patterns, too. In fact, you can even find some of us with long coats; those cats are known as British Longhairs. We are solidly built and medium-sized.

Fancy: Yes, definitely an attractive breed. *If cats could blush, Fancy would be doing so. She clears her throat nervously.* Well, um, hmmm…yes, let's get on with my questions, William. Um, where is that list of questions? Oh, here it is! How long has the British shorthair cat been an established breed?

William: Oh, our history is a long and noble one, of course. Romans brought cats with them when they invaded England to hunt rodents, which we are very good at. After the Romans left, people eventually began breeding cats for certain characteristics, and the British shorthair was one of the first breeds to be developed.

Fancy: And what is the general personality of members of your breed like?

William: Just as dignified as our long history. We are intelligent, calm, and definitely not silly. We are loving with our humans, and we enjoy being around people as well as other cats and even dogs. We are pretty easy to be around, we don't demand much in the way of lap-time or attention, but we're always nearby if a human wishes to spend time with us. The humans will need to keep our active brains occupied. Puzzle toys are nice.

Fancy: Yes they are! How about health; are members of your breed easy for the humans to take care of, and are there any health conditions that are more common for you than other breeds?

William: Of course we're easy to take care of! We would never wish to be a burden on our humans. We do need routine veterinary care, tooth-brushing, and claw-clipping. We certainly like to be brushed once a week, and more brushing will be necessary at season change times when we shed more. And I suppose that there is a higher rate of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in British shorthairs than in the general population. Oh, and there is that hemophilia B, which is a bleeding disorder. Humans who get a British shorthair from a breeder should make sure that the line is free of those two problems. But we are low energy, low maintenance cats for the humans, in general.

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